Cayouche | |
---|---|
Birth name | Réginald Charles Gagnon |
Born | 7 January 1949 |
Origin | Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada |
Genres | Country, bluegrass |
Occupation(s) | Singer/songwriter |
Years active | 1994–present |
Website | cayouche |
Réginald Charles Gagnon, who performs under the name Cayouche (born January 1949[1]), is an Acadian singer-songwriter of Acadian French country music. He was born in Moncton, New Brunswick on the eastern coast of Canada.
Gagnon immigrated to the United States with his mother when he was thirteen years old, settling in the suburbs of Boston, Massachusetts.[2] At age 19, he joined the United States Marine Corps and served during the Vietnam War, though he never saw combat.[3][4] Following his stint in the US military, Gagnon returned to Leominster, Massachusetts where he married and had two sons, Joshua Paul Gagnon (1972) and Jason Charles Gagnon (1973). In 1979, Gagnon returned to Canada with only his backpack and a guitar, which became the first step into his country-folk music career.
Gagnon's performance moniker Cayouche stems from the US, where he says that people would tell him, "T'es pas Acayen, t'es Acayouche," meaning "You're not Acadian, you're Acayouche.". "Acayouche" later became "Cayouche."
Even before the release of their first album in 1994, a Radio-Canada team had noticed that the Cayouche phenomenon was already alive and well in the Acadian Peninsula. About 25 years later, in the same place, almost all people passing by know Cayouche and his character.[5]
Thanks to his first album, Cayouche made a phenomenal entry into the music market in Acadia. Reaching a sales figure of more than 15,000 copies in a fairly small market, the album "Un vieux hippy" is surely part of the record collection of most Acadian families. Cayouche, a very simple musician, sings the everyday routine in his slightly coarse voice. Shortly after the release of the album "Un vieux hippie", fans who attended his shows could sing their hearts out to all of the lyrics of his songs such as "La chain de mon Tracteur", "Exporter“ A "or even "The kids kick". The album "An Old Hippy" surely contains many of the new classics of Acadian songs.[6]
Especially known for his uniting and festive performances, the singer has maintained constant popularity throughout Canada and Europe. The "Cayouche phenomenon" gets people from all generations singing and dancing, touching the hearts of the young and old in almost every song. He is among the few American popular artists in history to have sold more 100,000 albums.[7]
Among his biggest hits are Export A, La chaine de mon tracteur, L’alcool au volant, Fume Fume, C’est ça mon Acadie and La reine du bingo. Cayouche, who now lives in Maisonnette, New Brunswick, was the subject of a documentary film entitled "Cayouche, Le Temps d'une bière" or in English: "Cayouche : Time for a beer” by Maurice André Aubin in 2009.[8]